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Credit: Graham Colm
Hypercalcemia could be an early indication of cancer, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.
The connection between hypercalcemia and cancer is well known, but this study shows the condition can predate cancer diagnosis in primary care.
The association between hypercalcemia and cancers was particularly strong in men. And myeloma and other hematologic malignancies were among the most common cancers associated with hypercalcemia.
“All previous studies on hypercalcemia and cancer had been carried out with patients who had already been diagnosed with cancer; hypercalcemia was seen as a late effect of the cancer,” said study author Fergus Hamilton, of the University of Bristol in the UK.
“We wanted to look at the issue from a different perspective and find out if high calcium levels in blood could be used as an early indicator of cancer and, therefore, in the diagnosis of cancer.”
So the researchers analyzed the electronic records of 54,267 patients with elevated calcium levels and found that hypercalcemia was strongly associated with cancer, especially in males.
The positive predictive values for cancer in men were 11.5% for calcium levels between 2.60 and 2.79 mmol l-1, 27.9% for 2.8-2.99 mmol l-1, and 50% for >3.0 mmol l-1. In women, the corresponding values were 4.1%, 8.7%, and 16.7%, respectively.
In men, the most common cancers associated with hypercalcemia were lung (34%), prostate (21%), colorectal (8%), myeloma (8%), and other hematologic cancers (8%). There were 12 other cancer types recorded as well (19%).
In women, the most common cancers were myeloma (24%), breast (18%), other hematologic cancers (10%), lung (8%), and metastatic cancer with unknown primary (8%). There were 16 other cancers recorded among women (32%).
The researchers found no difference in calcium levels among the different cancers.
“We were surprised by the gender difference,” Dr Hamilton said. “There are a number of possible explanations for this, but we think it might be because women are much more likely to have hyperparathyroidism, another cause of hypercalcemia. Men rarely get this condition, so their hypercalcemia is more likely to be due to cancer.” 
Credit: Graham Colm
Hypercalcemia could be an early indication of cancer, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.
The connection between hypercalcemia and cancer is well known, but this study shows the condition can predate cancer diagnosis in primary care.
The association between hypercalcemia and cancers was particularly strong in men. And myeloma and other hematologic malignancies were among the most common cancers associated with hypercalcemia.
“All previous studies on hypercalcemia and cancer had been carried out with patients who had already been diagnosed with cancer; hypercalcemia was seen as a late effect of the cancer,” said study author Fergus Hamilton, of the University of Bristol in the UK.
“We wanted to look at the issue from a different perspective and find out if high calcium levels in blood could be used as an early indicator of cancer and, therefore, in the diagnosis of cancer.”
So the researchers analyzed the electronic records of 54,267 patients with elevated calcium levels and found that hypercalcemia was strongly associated with cancer, especially in males.
The positive predictive values for cancer in men were 11.5% for calcium levels between 2.60 and 2.79 mmol l-1, 27.9% for 2.8-2.99 mmol l-1, and 50% for >3.0 mmol l-1. In women, the corresponding values were 4.1%, 8.7%, and 16.7%, respectively.
In men, the most common cancers associated with hypercalcemia were lung (34%), prostate (21%), colorectal (8%), myeloma (8%), and other hematologic cancers (8%). There were 12 other cancer types recorded as well (19%).
In women, the most common cancers were myeloma (24%), breast (18%), other hematologic cancers (10%), lung (8%), and metastatic cancer with unknown primary (8%). There were 16 other cancers recorded among women (32%).
The researchers found no difference in calcium levels among the different cancers.
“We were surprised by the gender difference,” Dr Hamilton said. “There are a number of possible explanations for this, but we think it might be because women are much more likely to have hyperparathyroidism, another cause of hypercalcemia. Men rarely get this condition, so their hypercalcemia is more likely to be due to cancer.”
Credit: Graham Colm
Hypercalcemia could be an early indication of cancer, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.
The connection between hypercalcemia and cancer is well known, but this study shows the condition can predate cancer diagnosis in primary care.
The association between hypercalcemia and cancers was particularly strong in men. And myeloma and other hematologic malignancies were among the most common cancers associated with hypercalcemia.
“All previous studies on hypercalcemia and cancer had been carried out with patients who had already been diagnosed with cancer; hypercalcemia was seen as a late effect of the cancer,” said study author Fergus Hamilton, of the University of Bristol in the UK.
“We wanted to look at the issue from a different perspective and find out if high calcium levels in blood could be used as an early indicator of cancer and, therefore, in the diagnosis of cancer.”
So the researchers analyzed the electronic records of 54,267 patients with elevated calcium levels and found that hypercalcemia was strongly associated with cancer, especially in males.
The positive predictive values for cancer in men were 11.5% for calcium levels between 2.60 and 2.79 mmol l-1, 27.9% for 2.8-2.99 mmol l-1, and 50% for >3.0 mmol l-1. In women, the corresponding values were 4.1%, 8.7%, and 16.7%, respectively.
In men, the most common cancers associated with hypercalcemia were lung (34%), prostate (21%), colorectal (8%), myeloma (8%), and other hematologic cancers (8%). There were 12 other cancer types recorded as well (19%).
In women, the most common cancers were myeloma (24%), breast (18%), other hematologic cancers (10%), lung (8%), and metastatic cancer with unknown primary (8%). There were 16 other cancers recorded among women (32%).
The researchers found no difference in calcium levels among the different cancers.
“We were surprised by the gender difference,” Dr Hamilton said. “There are a number of possible explanations for this, but we think it might be because women are much more likely to have hyperparathyroidism, another cause of hypercalcemia. Men rarely get this condition, so their hypercalcemia is more likely to be due to cancer.”